Today we are happy to announce the addition of a new feature to BZPower. Our forum software calls it a 'reputation' system, but basically it's going to be BZPower's version of a 'like' system that you've probably seen on Facebook and other websites out there. The rep system, as I'll refer to it, will allow members to highlight things that they find cool, neat, informative, helpful, awesome, insightful, fun, etc. It will help give creators of content feedback, as they can get an idea for how many people are enjoying what they're posting. For more information about the system, read on!

Before I go any further, I would just like to say that the rep system should be considered a test run. We are planning on seeing how well people take to it and hope that no one tries to misuse, abuse, or just plain doesn't use the system. After a bit of time, we'll make a final decision on whether or not the system will stay. So please, make the most of it and let us know your thoughts in the Talkback.

To use the rep system, all you have to do is find something you think is cool, and then click the arrow next to the number in a box that appears in the lower right corner of the post, topic, or other piece of content. Your name will not be associated with the 'like,' so all people will see is that the number increased, not who did it. Once a piece of content gets a certain number of likes, it will be highlighted to stand out. We're probably going to be playing with this number a bit to see what works best.

I know some concerns have been raised in the past that this will discourage people from posting, but I feel there's only been anecdotal evidence to support that. More likely, people who just view topics and don't reply will use this feature to indicate they think something is cool, even if they don't have something constructive and in-depth to say about it. Again, we'll see how it goes and make a decision based on the hard numbers and feedback we receive.

I hope everyone enjoys this new feature and puts it to good use. I look forward to seeing some awesome creations and insightful topics getting highlighted to encourage others to read them and add their own thoughts. That's the end goal of the system and hopefully one that we achieve.